


i'll carry you all the way home

by courierseis



Category: Hades (Video Game 2018)
Genre: M/M, No Dialogue, not sure what else to tag this, spoilers for the last boss i guess
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-24
Updated: 2020-02-24
Packaged: 2021-02-19 10:41:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 890
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22876339
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/courierseis/pseuds/courierseis
Summary: zagreus almost makes it, once.
Relationships: Thanatos/Zagreus (Hades Video Game)
Comments: 7
Kudos: 192





	i'll carry you all the way home

Zagreus almost makes it, once. The snow is cold on everything but his feet and the air is biting, but he’s too lost in a sense of wonder to notice much beyond an initial shiver. Some of that wonder extends to seeing his father, the great Lord Hades himself, standing between him and the world, but a part of him accepts that this would have happened eventually. Hades ruled with absolute authority, and he refused to let a second soul escape his dominion.

Zagreus puts up a surprising fight, keeping Achilles’ many lessons in mind and whispering his thanks to the Olympians in between swings of his sword. Their boons help chip away at his father’s strength, almost seeming stronger for his new proximity to their home.

Hades falls to his knees and Zagreus feels like he could do the same, but the king, instead of letting his son pass, stands once again and takes his spear in hand.

It is not long after this that Zagreus is lying on his back in the snow, empty eyes staring up at the clouded sky. Hades takes a moment to consider the sight before him, but there is little sentiment in the way he lifts Zagreus by the front of his chiton and hauls him back into the Temple of Styx to throw his body into the river.

The prince, of course, does not remember this.

The last thing he remembers is the point of his father’s spear digging into his stomach as it arced across his body and the strange, momentary feeling of blood and snow against his back before everything, as always, went dark.

He does not remember his trip down the river or how he made it back to the House. He doesn’t remember his body floating on the surface of the bloody Styx, its hands pulling at his chiton, his hair, his laurels – anything they could grasp – as the current pulled his corporeal form downriver. He doesn’t remember passing below Elysium, the Lethe insulating its lush, cool atmosphere from the ever-hotter temperatures of approaching Asphodel.

Most of all, he does not remember bobbing along the surface of the Styx through Asphodel, passing a chamber where Thanatos appeared in his usual burst of sickly green light, sensing Zagreus’ presence, however faintly. The shock on Thanatos’ face – minute as the change was – goes unseen, as does his hurried drift to the bank of the Styx.

As Death, he has nothing to fear from the river that carries souls down to the House to be judged. Only Charon knew the river better than he, as it was the Boatman’s domain, and he saw no ship, no groaning specter ferrying the latest unfortunates to their resting places. Just Zagreus, lonely and dead, almost looking as if he were relaxing and letting the current pull him home.

If only he would just come home.

Thanatos hesitates, but only for a fraction of a second. He crosses the edge of land and floats over the river in pursuit of Zagreus. The Styx’s hands, sensing another foreign body, reach and grip at the parts of his clothes that drape below him as he descends towards them. The prince is easy enough to lift, but the river tries to pull Thanatos in, as well, not knowing who he is, and it takes a bit of extra effort to escape their clumsy pawing.

His own clothes, normally varying hues of purple and gold, are now stained red from the Styx and from Zagreus. This is of no concern to him, though, as he takes in the prince’s form, unconscious and still with a healing wound in his stomach. Seeing Zagreus so still is unnatural, uncomfortable.

Didn’t Lord Hades see that Zagreus just wanted answers? Was it so hard to give them, that this was a preferable arrangement?

He does not have the time to question his Lord with legions of mortals dying by the minute, and clearly, Zagreus is in no state for any sort of competition. With the prince in his arms, Thanatos warps from Asphodel to the main hall of the House.

Thankfully, the hall is mostly empty in the wake of Lord Hades’ departure. The usual line of shades has dispersed, Hypnos has wandered off somewhere, and Orpheus seems lost in thought and song. His voice and the gurgling of the Styx are the only sounds to be heard.

After a moment, Thanatos lowers Zagreus into the Pool of Styx so that it can finish the revival process. His clothes again dip into the blood, but he comes away spotless as he moves to settle on the marble floor.

No doubt the prince will not remember this. All the better.

When Zagreus pulls himself from the Pool later, groaning and complaining, he is not surprised to find the main hall empty save for Orpheus and the Contractor Shade. Nevertheless, he makes his rounds – relating his most recent visit with Eurydice to Orpheus, checking in with the Wretched Broker, and speaking with Achilles – and is surprised to see Thanatos at the end of the west hall.

If he approaches Death with a crooked smile precious few get to see, and if Thanatos seems slightly less prickly than usual, Achilles is the only witness, and he is content to let the two enjoy a moment together.

**Author's Note:**

> baby's first ao3 post... i finally wrote something i don't hate that's also longer than two paragraphs


End file.
